Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to food storage. More particularly, this invention relates to a novel cheese cave for maintaining and improving cheeses stored therein.
Background of the Related Art
The production and consumption of cheeses has been rising dramatically. As consumer access to and appreciation of both domestically produced and imported fine cheeses grows, consumers also discover that the quality of a fine cheese may degrade rapidly from the time it is purchased. This degradation in quality is due, in part, to the conditions under which cheese is stored. The packaging materials in which cheeses are sold are often not ideal for storage of the types of cheeses they contain. Additionally, a combination of factors, including but not limited to relative humidity, air flow, temperature, handling, container size, and container shape, affect the rate of degradation in the quality of a cheese. Beyond maintaining a cheese's quality, proper conditions may allow cheese to continue to improve, referred to as “ripening”.
One conventional method for storing cheese is to simply place it on a refrigerator shelf or in a refrigerator drawer wrapped in plastic, wax paper, or cheese paper. While this solution may have some success at maintaining the temperature at which a cheese is stored, different types of cheeses require varying permutations of conditions to maintain quality. A refrigerator's standard temperature setting would be appropriate for only a limited range of fresh cheeses. This temperature setting will have detrimental effects on the quality of many other fresh cheeses, as well as many aged cheeses. In addition, this solution fails to control any of the many other factors that may affect cheese quality, such as oxidation, suffocation, ammonification, excessive drying and cracking, and off flavors.
Another obstacle to proper storage of cheese is maintaining optimal levels of relative humidity. A relative humidity of 70-99% is ideal for cheeses. While a closed refrigerator theoretically may be capable of maintaining a steady level of humidity, the reality that a refrigerator door will be opened and closed numerous times during the course of a day results in drastic fluctuations in relative humidity that will detrimentally impact cheese quality. While the more confined environment of a refrigerator drawer mitigates such fluctuations in relative humidity, it does not eliminate them, and is often too aerated by harsh fridge air. Furthermore, different cheeses have different optimal relative humidity levels. Even where a refrigerator drawer is capable of maintaining a relative humidity level, the particular relative humidity level maintained within that refrigerator drawer would not be appropriate for a large number of cheeses that would be stored therein, especially if these cheeses are stacked on top of each other, trapping moisture between them. Therefore, it remains desirable to provide a solution that is capable of storing and ripening cheeses at varying optimal conditions, without the need for extra packaging.
Another problem encountered in the storage of cheeses is that certain cheeses require some minimum amount of handling and breathability, referred to as “maintenance”. One example of maintenance involves periodically inverting the cheese to ensure that all sides of the ripening cheese are exposed to the air. Another example is preserving ample space between cheeses so that they do not develop off flavors or altered textures due to excess pressure. Accordingly, it remains desirable to provide a solution that creates and maintains microclimates uniquely suited to storing and improving each individual cheese placed inside.
A further problem encountered in the storage of cheeses is that, where cheese is stored along side other products, accessing these other products results in frequent exposure of the cheeses to sunlight. Sunlight has a detrimental effect on the quality of stored cheese and results in cheese degradation.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a cheese cave capable of controlling and maintaining the factors that contribute to cheese quality. Another object of this invention is to provide a cheese cave capable of providing a range of conditions to match the storage requirements of different cheeses, stored as both cut wedges and whole wheels of cheese, without the need for additional packaging. A further object of this invention is to provide a cheese cave that maintains optimal cheese storage conditions while avoiding excess exposure to sunlight.